BILINGUAL EDUCATION ACT AUGUST 1974 BILINGUAL EDUCATION ACT EDUCATION U.S GOV'T LEGISLATIVE U.S GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION AMERICAN CULTURE IN AUGUST 1974 CONGRESS PASSED THE BILINGUAL EDUCATION ACT THE ACT WAS A REVISION OF TITLE VII OF THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT PASSED IN JANUARY 1968 THE 1968 ACT HAD REQUIRED THAT CHILDREN WHOSE FIRST LANGUAGE WAS NOT ENGLISH BE INSTRUCTED IN TWO LANGUAGES UNTIL THEY MASTERED ENGLISH THE BILINGUAL EDUCATION ACT EXPANDED THE SCOPE OF THE ACT AND PROVIDED FURTHER FUNDING FOR ITS PROGRAMS THE ACT ALSO BROADENED THE DEFINITION OF CHILDREN WITH LIMITED ENGLISH SPEAKING ABILITY WHICH MEANT THAT MORE LANGUAGES WOULD BE TAUGHT ALONG WITH ENGLISH THE ACT CALLED FOR THE CREATION OF AN OFFICE OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND A NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN ADDITION IT INCREASED FUNDING FOR TRAINING BILINGUAL TEACHERS CONGRESS PASSED THE ACT PARTLY IN RESPONSE TO THE SUPREME COURT DECISION LAU V NICHOLS THE COURT RULED THAT THE SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOL DISTRICT HAD VIOLATED THE EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE OF THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT BY NOT PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN CHINESE TO CHINESE SPEAKING STUDENTS
